Thursday - December 14, 2017

RIBA Venues — The Growing Importance of Technology in Event Venues

Posted onMay 13, 2015

The size and the general look and feel of event rooms are important but are no longer the only things that you need to think about in a growing digital age.

13 May, 2015 – U.K – Internet usage is increasing rapidly with better internet connections available and most mobile devices are capable of connecting to the internet. It is estimated that there are 2,571,700,018 internet users in the world today and that every day we send more than one billion emails. This is a huge number but more importantly is the growth rate as this is more than double compared to ten years ago, and the surge in growth of mobile devices is proof that we are very much living in a digital age with immediate access to all kinds of content.

Many people spend hours on the internet every day and feel the need to share everything on social media platforms like Twitter and Facebook. Businesses can take advantage of this by encouraging delegates to share information and promote their business. Given this, the technology available at an events venue needs to be a key consideration when booking a venue.

Five years ago, good internet access wasnot an important consideration for decision-makers, nor was it essential to have readily available docking and charging stations or devices that for projection and sharing. But as mobile devices have become more advanced and companies have started to benefit from new features, it has become apparent that to book a venue without the technology required to keep attendees connected is archaic.

Stephanie Ellrott from RIBA Venues, an events venue in London, said that: “The growing adoption of mobile devices in the workplace means that people expect to be able to take work out of the office and be productive. While the vast majority of conference rooms have internet access, it can be limiting which can hamper productivity and frustrate attendees. Booking a conference room with strong Wi-Fi and plenty of accessible charging stationsis essential,” says MsEllrott. “Just as consumers now expect to be able to access content online immediately, employees expect to have the tools that are necessary to perform work-related tasks wherever convenient.”